HOMARUS

The effects of lobster on some persons and under some conditions are well known.

In order to thoroughly study the effect A. M. Cushing adopted the happy idea of proving the specific lobster poison, and the result has been a very valuable addition to our armamentarium (H. R., iii. 98).

Homarus is an agent of great activity, as the subjoined symptom list will show. Persons have been known to die after eating lobster and thereafter drinking milk.

Cushing put a little of the poison into warm milk, and in ten minutes it was a hard mass. Papoid soon dissolved it, but pepsin took much longer.

Cushing found that milk aggravated his symptoms during the proving. “ From motion; from passing wind; after eating; from inhaling cold air.

L. H. Hallock relates (Med. Adv., xxii. 311) a personal experience. An hour after eating a small amount of lobster salad, general pruritus commenced, worse in lower extremities, especially the calves. The itching was of a biting, burning character, not > by rubbing or scratching, almost unendurable. It lasted two hours in spite of bathing with hot and cold water, fresh and salt. No sooner had the itching abated than lips, nose, eyes began to swell, till the eyes were closed and lips almost completely inverted. Throat swollen and œdematous so that it was almost impossible to breathe; profuse salivation. Eight hours after the meal he had the appearance of a severe and protracted debauch. In twenty-four hours was as well as ever. Once subsequently he had a like experience after eating lobster.

The symptoms for which Homarus is indicated

Frightened feeling.─Dull.─Nervous but with dread of moving.

Headache, in morning; sharp at times, mostly in temporal region, by cold air.─Smarting and inclination to cough > opening mouth wide and inhaling very cold air.─Pain in l. side of throat, ear, and neck, it seems to be in the muscles rather than the mucous membrane, > holding side of head with the hand.─Tingling; and inclination to cough, raised white mucus.─Burning in throat, r. side, and in œsophagus, stomach and bowels.─Œdema of throat so great he could hardly breathe.

Belching forth of tasteless wind in the morning.─Pain all the forenoon, with occasional hot flashes.─Sharp pain after a light breakfast.─Distress in stomach; on waking in the night, > in morning, returned in evening; before and after a light breakfast; after a plain dinner, followed by a little ice-cream; through to back, by passing large amount of wind.─After much effort passed large, long tenacious stool (in night).

Long-continued excitement every morning; and in night.

Difficult breathing after retiring.─Sharp pain in back side of l. lung.─Pain: through chest; in sides, in r. lung; through centre of r. lung.─Pain in centre of l. lung after retiring, and around body at diaphragm; in centre of r. lung and through to scapula.─Burning distress at right of lower end of sternum; in both sides with difficult breathing.─Intense œdema of throat rendering breathing almost impossible.

Pulse full, rolling.

Aching: just below diaphragm; in centre of r. scapula in morning; inside of scapula, moving.─Dull feeling.─Nervous feeling; but dread of moving.─Restlessness.─Weakness; After eating; after dinner.

Sore pimple on l. thigh, outside.─Itching: in various parts frequently day and night; of various parts before and after retiring, > scratching, but appearing in another place.─Itching sudden, by rubbing or scratching, lasted two hours in spite of hot and cold bathing; followed immediately on its subsidence with edema of lips and throat.

Slept in a chair (unusual) after dinner.─Restless at night.─Sleepy after retiring, so that eyes ached, but could not sleep for a long time.─Sleepless for nearly two hours after retiring; restless, had headache, pain in back, stomach and bowels.─Woke at midnight, after a few minutes’ sleep, with hurried desire for stool, > passing much wind, and after much effort passed a large, long, tenacious stool.─ Every night go to sleep on retiring, and in five or ten minutes wake and lie awake one or two hours.─Wakefulness in the morning, but later in the proving it was both in the first and last part of the night.─ Woke early and could not go to sleep on account of pains all over,less in the epigastric region, back, arms, and legs, legs lame and painful as from severe exercise and cold, expected to be very lame on rising, but felt nicely.─ Woke two hours earlier than usual, with dull headache, burning all ever chest, seeming to be in the pleura, aching pain through lungs to scapula, aching in back part of shoulder, outside of upper portion of scapula, pain in hypochondria, extending down back, burning pain in legs and feet, mostly below knees, so that I could not go to sleep, feet so hot that I had to put them out of bed, then the pain extended to the thighs, the pain was so severe that I felt as if I trembled all over, but think I did not; I felt as if I could not move, but on moving there was no pain and I felt better by moving, could not sleep again.

Chilliness all over so that I trembled.─Feet cold; and damp; afterwards burning.

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